Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



Unrrnn STATES PATENT Orlaronc GUNDER GUNDERSEN, CF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-AIRWIS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l15,998, dated December30, 1373; application ihd August 5, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUNDEPU GUNDnnsnN, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Breech-Loading Guns, of which improvements the following 4is a full,clear, and exact description, which will enable others skilled in theart to which my invention appcrtains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying thawing forming a part of thisspecifica-tion, and in which- Figure l is a side elevation of myimproved gun when the barrels are in a position to receive thecartridges; Fig. 2, a vertical central longitudinal section of the same;Fig. 3, a vertical section through the cartridge-discharger, and Fig. 4a side elevation of the latter.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention relates to that class of breechloading guns in which thebarrels have a tilting movement in order to expose the breech, so thatthe cartridges may be inserted and the shells removed. The object of myinvention is to attach the barrels more firmly to the stock, and toprovide the barrels, when tilted, with an improved support; and myinvention consists in certain novel features, substantially ashereinafter described, relating to the means employed for the purpose ofaccomplishing the objects above set forth.

In the drawing, A represents the barrels of the gun. B and B are hooksor projections, arranged longitudinally on and extending vertically fromthe lower side of the barrels, and trml y attached thereto. C is acatch, pivoted to the upper part of the rear end of the upper rib orparting-strip, which projects somewhat from the rear end of the barrels,as shown. D is the breeclrpiece, to which the barrels are attached. Thepart D is mortised to receive the hcoks and the catch C. E is a pin,arranged in and rigidly attached to the forward end of the part D, andextending through the mortise which receives the hook B. The hook Il iscut away on its forward edge to receive the pin E, and turns on thelatter as on an axle while the barrels are being tilted. The forward andrear edges of both hooks lie in the are of a circle, of which the pin Eis the center, so that they maybe nicely fitted into the mortises whichreceive them, and so as to admit of the tilting movement of the barrels.The hooks and catch C are notched on their rear edges, as shown at a aand a. arranged in the part D, and extending through the mortises whichreceive the hooks and the catch C. rlhe bolt F is slotted to receive thesaid catch and the hook B and is arranged to engage the notches a a anda', and thusretain the barrels in a horizontal position, as shownv inFig. 2. G is a vertical lever, pivoted to thc part D, and engaging thebolt F. e is a shoulder on the lever G, and H is a spring, on which theshoulder c rests. The action of the spring H throws the upper end of thelever G forward, and the bolt F, by being engaged by this end of thelever, is held to its engagement with the hooks and with the catch C,and the barrels are thus firmly locked in a horizontal position. Inorder to tilt the barrels, the free end of the lever G is pushed forwarduntil the hooks and the catch C are released by the bolt F. The barrelsmay then be tilted until the breech is exposed sufficiently to receivethe cartridges. T

I am aware that hooks corresponding to the hooks B and BA haveheretofore been employed for the purpose above described; but, when onlythe hooks B and B are employed for this purpose, the barrels are liableto yield to a severe lateral strain applied at their ends. This tendencyI have aimed to prevent by arranging the catch C in the mannerdescribed.

I is a sliding rod, arranged longitudinally in the lower part of thelower rib or partingstrip. J is a head-plate on the rear end of the rodI. The lateral edges of the plate J are curved to correspond to the boreof each barrel, and the plate is so arranged in a rabbet in the breechas to be iiush with the rear end of the barrels, and so as to be lappedby the rim of the cartridges when the latter are arranged in thebarrels. K is a pin projecting from the head J into the breech, for thepurpose of preventing the bar I from a rolling movement. L is a sleeveon the rod I. M is an open spiral spring arranged on the rod I, andresting against a shoulder thereon, and against the forward end of thesleeve L, as shown. The rearward movement of the sleeve L is limited bya shoulder on the rod I, and in the manner Fis a bolt hereinafterdescribed. The sleeve L is grooved vertically 011 its sides, asrepresented at e in Fig. 4; and, when the rod I is arranged in itsrecess, it is retained therein by means of screwpins arranged to enterthe recess and the grooves e. N is an arm or spur projecting rigidlyfrom the pin E. The spur N is constructed and arranged to slightly lapthe forward end of the rod I, which is slightly beveled, as shown.

Then the barrels are tilted into the position shown in Fig. l, the rod Iis pushed rearward by the spur N until the latter slips from itsengagement with the rod. The rod I is then thrown forward to itsoriginal position by means of the spring M. When the barrels arereturned to the position shown in Fig. 2, the spur N is returned to itsoriginal position, and again laps the forward end of the bar I, thelatter having sufficient vertical play to rise during the forwardmovement of the spur N, and to fall behind the latter after this forwardmovement has ceased. The rearward movement of the rod I causes the headJ to push the cartridge-shells rearward until they can be readilyremoved from the barrels.

The forward end of the part D is curved in the arc of a circle, of whichthe pin E is the center, as is clearly shown in Fig. l; and O is an armor lever, the rear end of which is matched to the forward end of thepart D. O is a stiff spring, rigidly attached to the upper face of thelever O. o is a spur projecting from the pin E, and supporting the rearend of the spring O. I is a pin projecting from the lower part of thebarrels through the forward end of the lever O, which is retained in itsposition by means of a small pin passed laterally through the pin P. Thespring O rests with a considerable pressure upon the spur o. Thispressure is increased when the barrels are tilted into the positionshown in Fig. l, and the lever O thus operates as a yielding seat orsupport for the barrels, and prevents their forward ends from fallingtoo suddenly or too far when the hooks B and B and the catch C arereleased from their engagement with the bolt F.

It will be perceived, from the foregoing description, that I havedescribed a double-barreled gun; but my improvements, excepting thecatch C, may also be applied to a breechloader provided with a singletilting barrel.

I do not here claim the means herein shown and described and employedfor the purpose of partly ejecting the cartridge-shell from the barrel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by etters Patent, is-

1. In a breech-loading gun, the catch G, pivoted to the projecting endof the upper rib, arranged between the tilting barrels, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

2. The lever O, arranged below a tilting barrel in a breech-loading gun,and provided with the spring O', in combination with the breechpiece I),provided with the spur 0, arranged to support the said spring,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

GUNDER GUNDERSEN.

Iitnessesz JOHN H. LAWLER, F. F. WARNER.

